BROADENING GLOBAL FUND ELIGIBILITY - FRENCH CHANGE

UNCLAS PARIS 000298

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR S/GAC PPEARSON, OES/IHA; HHS FOR WSTEIGER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KHIV EAID TBIO FR
SUBJECT: BROADENING GLOBAL FUND ELIGIBILITY - FRENCH CHANGE
HEART

REF: SECSTATE 6462


1. (SBU) On January 12, EST Counselor contacted Dr.
Frederic Goyet, responsible for the Division of Health and
Social Development, Bureau of Development and Technical
Cooperation, MFA, to inform him of the U.S. plan to seek a
change in the guidelines for the Global Fund to permit a
wider range of applications from upper-middle income (UMI)
countries. EST Counselor expressed U.S. appreciation for the
stance taken by Ambassador Guigaz at the June Fund Board
Meeting. In the spirit of the Dublin Conference Guigaz had
supported a broadening of the guidelines. Additionally, EST
Counselor urged the French to "maintain that position" in
light of the upcoming telephone conference meeting of the
Portfolio Management and Procurement Committee (PMPC).


2. (SBU) In response, Goyet agreed with EST Counselor that
the "Global Fund was always supposed to be global." In
addition, he said there was definitely a need for additional
assistance in addressing pandemics in a number of the UMI
countries. However, he added that the question of opening
the eligibility criteria for UMI countries raised "not only
theoretical questions, but also problems of prioritization
and availability of funds." He asked to consider the issue
further with Ambassador Guigaz. EST Counselor provided him
with the non paper contained in para 16 reftel.


3. (SBU) On January 14, Goyet replied that after having
discussed the issue with Ambassador Guigaz that at this time
the French side considered it not desirable to modify the
criteria for eligibility of the UMI countries. France, like
the U.S., he said, is very concerned about the evolution of
AIDs and tuberculosis pandemics, even Malaria, in the UMI
countries of Latin America and Eastern Europe. But, the
current level of resources in the Fund requires that a choice
be made "of prioritization and focus on the poorest
countries." As far as France was concerned, he continued,
the success of the upcoming replenishment mechanism would be
a precondition for flexibility in the eligibility criteria of
the Fund. EST Counselor asked what had occasioned this change
of policy. Goyet restated that while France is concerned
about the UMI countries, everything rests on the success of
the reconstitution of Fund resources in 2005.
Leach